Tag: Crochet

With less than 1 week to Stitches SoCal, I am getting yarn, crochet hooks, and patterns ready. Why? You ask, because I will be teaching How To Crochet in The Playground. Along with another quick demonstration on how to crochet my cup cozy.

Stitches SoCal is a 4 day event being held Thursday November 1st to Sunday November 4, in Pasadena at the Pasadena Convention Center, 300 Green Street. 4 days of classes, shopping, demonstrations, how to’s and more.

Stitches SoCal is making their first appearance in Los Angeles area because of the overwhelming desire from knitters, crocheters, weavers, quilters to have a large conference in one of the largest cities in the US. Here is your chance, if you live in Los Angeles, to take a class or 2, shop at the many vendors in the marketplace, see a fashion show, or even buy a pattern book from an author and have it signed.

Gizmo kitty here: “Did you say yarn?” “I need more toys”

Did you know Stitches is celebrating 27 years in the consumer fiber events? Stitches continues to have their annual west coast conference in Santa Clara, in February each year. It has even added Salt Lake City for 2019.

The Playground is where people can see demonstrations of knitting, crocheting, weaving, quilting, spinning techniques. On Saturday, Nov 3, I will be showing people how to crochet: chain, single crochet, double crochet, even treble crochet. You are welcome to see me in action.

On Sunday Nov 4, I will be demonstrating my cup cozy. A fun, quick project any crocheter can make. These make great stocking stuffers, gifts for co-workers for the coffee enthusiast; even a bridal shower gift. For those that see me in The Playground, not only will you get to see the demonstration, you will get the pattern, and some may even get a cozy too.

Here’s your chance to see me in action, “Let’s make a cup cozy”

Be sure to stop by Booth #432 for El Segundo Slipt Stitchers, the knitting group I belong to. The guild is part of the stitch marker swap. Stop by and swap one of your stitch markers with one of ours. We are having a fun Vegas Style knitting and crochet scarf project for you to try out, along with learning about our guild, what we do, our charities that we donate to and possibly join our guild.

This is sure to be a fun event, with plenty of shopping to do. Who doesn’t need more yarn, stitch markers, knitting needles, crochet hooks, patterns, books… you get it. Hope to see you there.

Drum roll please… the month long project is finished! The project started when my brother alerted us that they evacuated from their home due to the Carr Fire in Redding, CA. What should I do to help out my brother and sister in law?

My first thought was to buy them gift cards so they can shop for what they need. Our sister instead started a gofundme page, which raised $3500 for them in 2 weeks. I decided the best way to help them was to use my crochet skills and make them a blanket. Something they can curl up to at night when it feels like the sky is falling and they need to escape from reality.

Off to the local shops to see if anything color scheme comes to mind. I knew it was going to be a big project, but also it would help them get through having to start all over. Out popped this chocolate brown yarn. Big skeins of yarn… on clearance… I had to have all that I could find. 4 skeins, 14 ounces each skein. And so it begins. Red Heart Super Saver was the yarn of choice. With numerous colors to choose from, my stash was ready to be used.

But how do I add color? I want the chocolate brown throughout the blanket, but I also want color. After talking to a fellow crocheter, we both came up with double the strands of color, 1 brown, and 1 accent color. That way, the blanket is thick for cold winter nights, and the accents of color will show through.

Gizmo “supervising” the project

Now to begin the task of crochet several rows to gauge sizing. I know my brother has a queen size bed, and the size is 60 x 80 inches. I have a queen size bed, so using my bed for gauging, I chained 150 stitches. One row of half double crochet should give me draping. I lay it on the bed, looks too big, it drapes too far down the sides, frog back 10 stitches, and looks good, so I start there.

Time to grab remnant skeins of yarn from my stash. Holding 2 strands together, my project begins. I decide to only do 3 rows of 1 color, change the accent color, and continue changing colors every 3 rows keeping the brown as the main color.

It’s moving along quite nicely. Might I remind you that we were having a heatwave, with lots of humidity added for more discomfort. The blanket is growing daily, but I cannot keep working on it when I have crochet animals to make for my consignor. She sold 10 animals in 5 days, which is incredibly fast for her shop, so during most days, I crochet animals, take a break and work on the blanket at night.

After a week, the blanket grows, right Gizmo?

After a couple weeks, the blanket is big, not big enough yet… keep working on animals and blanket, animals and blanket. Ship the animals, work on blanket. More animals, more blanket. When almost finished, I decided the blanket needed accent pillows.

Have to fold blanket, heavy on my legs now.

Text brother, ask their favorite colors. Great, I have 1 pillow form already, need to buy another pillow form, running out of brown yarn, need more yarn. Off to yarn shop again. Get home, wrong size pillow form, use it anyway.

side 1 of accent pillows

side 2, corner to corner makes great diagonal pattern for pillows

Corner To Corner technique was used for the accent pillows. Crochet 2 panels bigger than the pillow form size, single crochet the sides together, slipp the pillow inside, and stitch it closed. An additional row of single crochet, chain 1 in every other stitch of previous row.

Blanket and 1 accent pillow finished right before my knitting guild meeting. I wanted to get blanket done so I can show and share it, telling them the story of my brother losing home. The ladies LOVED it, even several ladies asked for the pattern, it’s a good way to use up scraps of yarn.

MY TIP: Use 1 color as the main color, and take scraps of leftover yarn as accent colors and crochet an afghan or blanket. Change out the accent color after a few rows, always weave in the color changes while crocheting next row.

My brother and sister in law love the blanket and pillows. The weather is too hot to be used on their bed, it’s on the back of the sofa for now. As she said, “its big enough for both of us to curl up on the sofa and both of us will be warm”.

Until next time, may your fiber dreams be filled with splashes of color.

Shark Week is upon us. Well, actually Discovery Channel has expanded its annual event to 2 weeks this year —which is always in July, the height of vacation season and when sharks come out to hunt, er, play in the waters. Here you will discover fun projects to knit and crochet all things sharks.

With many species of toothy sharks on the planet, fiberistas have taken it in their hands to create softer and more cuddly versions of aquatic sharks. The internet has exploded with patterns of all shapes and sizes from little ball shaped to very large sharks. Here are a few samples of sharks that I have crocheted. If interested, you can purchase the patterns on Etsy and each photo tells you the designer name.

I have crocheted each of these sharks, all are easy. Chum the shark is small, Shawn medium size and Sam the shark is large.

Once you have the shark plushie done, you might want to move onto shark shaped bags. These are fun to make, and are a great conversation starter. I have crocheted this bag in 2 sizes, kid size and adult size. I lined the adult bag with fabric to make it sturdy.

Shark Bag, by The Cookie Snob, on Ravelry

The Shark Bag is also a fun, easy pattern to follow. Go Ravelry, where you will find the FREE pattern by Erin Sharp. I banged this out in less than a day, pretty easy.

How about a shark hat? Not just for babies, kids of all ages can wear one too.

Shark Hat, Free Pattern

Repeat Crafter Me, is the designer of the shark hat. She has great detail with instructions, many photos, and many sizes. The link provided will lead you to the FREE pattern on Ravelry. The photo here shows you 2 different size hats made from her pattern. I added a little fiberfill stuffing to the dorsal fin.

And let’s not forget about “Fluffy.” Your cat may hate you, but it is good for a laugh.

(Sorry, no link available for these cat costumes.)

Then there are the slippers, slipper socks, sleep sack, shark can cozy, shark oven mitts. The possibilities are endless. What can you come up with?

June Gloom, where did it go? The gloom has parted ways, as the fireworks raged on –elsewhere this week. Baggy and Gizmo are scattered on the bed, fans blowing on them, trying to keep cool. Southern California has been HOT, even at the ocean –no foggy mornings these days. The weather channel reports its hotter in LA than it is in Phoenix, WOW, now that’s HOT! Welcome to summer.

So, how do you crochet and knit when the weather is hot? (Let me know.)
Besides crocheting animals, I try to craft shawls for the fall and winter shows, often deterred by the weather. Who really wants wool resting on their lap when its hot outside? Maybe I need to think about wool more in winter…

Instead of focusing on the heat, I thought I’d share Here are some fun, small projects to keep you motivated during these hot summer days. Made with scraps of yarn in your stash.

Fruits and Vegetables. These are fun, quick projects that can be crocheted in no time. Imagine the possibilities of fun food. No more dusting off plastic fruits and veggies, crochet and knit them. Teachers tell me they use fruits and veggies as color association for kids to learn colors, i.e. apple-red, banana-yellow. They can also be cat or dog toys, before closing the fruit or veggie, just add some dried catnip with the stuffing. Your kitty will love you for it.

bowl of assorted fruits

vegetables galore

Cookies, Ice Cream Cones, Donuts. Why not, right? These are great toys for kids to play with, filled with fiberfill stuffing, no calories, just fun food. Put in a large clear container, and the kids will think you got them sweets to munch on. The cookies paid patterns can be found on Craftsy. The ice cream scoop is my pattern, and the Donuts are a free pattern.

knit, crochet cookiesIce Cream Scoop, YarnKat Pattern

crochet donuts

Flowers. The possibilities are endless. Take a straw bag, accessorize it with flowers. Get French clips, sew flower onto clip, you have made a cute flower for your hair. Take a mini flower, attach to paperclip and you have a cute bookmark. Daisies, Roses, Sunflowers, Lilies, Pansies. From small to large; earrings & necklaces to belts; scarves too. Add a stem and you have created a lovely bouquet of flowers.

Photo found on Pinterest, go to Ravelry

Cactus. . Saguaro, Barrel, Agave, Star just to name a few, just place them in cute clay pots. Wouldn’t these be cute as pincushions? A fun conversation piece sitting on a table. These teeny tiny cacti patterns can be found on etsy, with the direct link to the seller MuffaMiniatures

What’s great about all of these items, you can use up scraps of yarn. No need to stop by the local store to pick up many yarns. Little bits of leftover yarn and in no time you will have a cornucopia of little projects.

So stay cool, keep hydrated, place the pets indoors with fresh water, and enjoy the little projects during the hot, summer days.

Many things are happening today with World Wide Knit in Public Day, National Rosé Wine Day, Donald Duck Day and Strawberry Rhubarb Pie Day, and Iced Tea Day is tomorrow. With summertime ideas for crocheters and knitters, summer does not have to be boring.

Plush Donald I recreated for a custom order

What a great day to get out and take a peek at people knitting and crocheting. Have you ever wanted to learn how to knit or crochet? Maybe join a group, meet interesting people, or just catch up with friends while showing those curious in a craft. It’s not just for grandmothers, any age can crochet or knit. Today is your day.

The weather has finally changed, no more “June gloom” clouds in the morning, beautiful blue skies in the day, leading to some coastal fog in the late afternoon. The crochet hook continues to produce animals new and reintroduce old favorites.

Summertime beckons great colors, fabrics, ideas. Here are some to get you started, all made with cotton yarn.

How about picnics in the park, with a handmade blanket to sit on? Take a look at Ashleigh’s gingham blanket. Just make squares and sew together. If you are handy with making graphs, use the C2C method and make a graphghan. Its more work but less ends to weave in.

Sewrella’s Gingham Picnic Blanket

For knitters, miter squares are a great alternate to crochet. I am working on a blanket using miter squares with remnant pieces of yarn.

Heading to the beach, take this oversize tote bag with you. Imagine the color possibilities with this bag. I made this one for a July 4th party we were invited to. Strips of color, woven together, add a shoulder strap or 2.

Patriotic Tote Bag

Having a summer time party? Give your guests their own drink cozy. No worrying about whose bottled beverage is who’s when each guest can have their own cozy. Embellish the cozy if you want or not. Your guests leave home with a party favor.

Water, & Soda Drink Cozies

Watermarks on tables? Not anymore, a quick 10 minute crochet pattern is all it takes to make a coaster. I like adding a cork backing to the coaster to ensure no condensation seeps through. Michael’s Crafts Store carries adhesive back cork in a roll. Just cut the shape, peel off the backing and stick to back of coaster.

Cup Coasters, Cork Backing

And finally, what’s not summertime without Iced Tea. If not brewing suntea, a favorite tea is Starbucks’ Passionfruit Tea with Lemonade (no sweetener). Crisp, sweet from the lemonade, and refreshing.

Passionfruit Tea with Lemonade, yummy

One big black cat loves summertime, he gets some sun for himself outside with leash attached, which tends to be hours of quenching those rays. He would live out there, if not for the busy street we live on. (Note, picture was taken a couple of years ago)

As a fiber artist, my hands get a workout when I crochet animals. Stress, strain, arthritis all become unbearable, making it hard to finish projects. I was given a product that I have to share with you, I absolutely love it. It is called Pinch Me Therapy Dough, and it works wonders.

Pinch Me, Beach lightly scented

What does Pinch Me Therapy Dough do? Its soft, pliable putty (think Play Doh for adults) that relieves tension, calms the nerves and helps relax those overworked hands. For those stressful days, grab the jar, and give it a squeeze, slipping the stress away..

Pinch It, Squeeze It, Massage It in your hands

Take it out of its container, hold it in your hand, squeeze it like a stress ball, pinch it between your fingers. The dough is soft to work with, has a wonderful scent, and is quite calming.

I learned many years ago, that ice is nice for inflammation, Pinch Me Therapy Dough, chilled, works just as good as ice. Plus with a nice scent like Beach, you feel like you are escaping to a secluded island, coconut scent catching the winds.

Mine is kept in its jar in the refrigerator. At night, after a long day of crocheting, I massage it in my hands and fingers for just 5 minutes; when I wake up the next morning, my hands do not hurt.

Pinch Me Therapy Dough

Pinch Me Therapy Dough, 10 oz jar, is available in 10 scents including Spa (hint of lavender), Spice (cinnamon and berries), Cafe (coffee lovers dream). You can find it on their website: www.pinchmedough.com and other websites.

Pinch Me Therapy Dough has teamed up with BootStrapUSA, helping to pay for a soldier’s stress management training. Giving back to the community one soldier at a time. Made in the USA.

So grab yourself a jar, take care of your hands, stress, and unwind. You will feel better. Its not a replacement for medical attention, its a holistic, stress relieving technique with aromatherapy scents. Not recommended for children under the age of 4 without parental supervision. It does contain wheat, so those with allergies be aware.

Yes birds are chirping these days and it seems like our “winter” weather has taken a vacation from us here in So Cal. Bees are coming out of hibernation too. While bees are nice to see pollinating flowers, I do not care for them when they search out our fireplace and enter our apartment.

Gizmo kitty got an up-close introduction to several of them, getting stung on the face and cheek. A quick trip to the vet, a shot of Benadryl and he was back to his antics within 48 hours. Here’s hoping the exterminator’s spray is able to keep the bees at bay and not use our fireplace as a new home.

March went out like a lion, so to say, with lots of animal custom orders. Lee started taking a couple of my crochet animals to work with him, and within 2 weeks, 10 animals were sold. With more orders, came more work. While some of my favorites sold; i.e. piggy, party penguin, octupods, new animals were popular like the Happy Car, Big Ear Bunny and Teddy Bear made with Caron Sprinkle Cakes yarn. All in all, March had 22 sales.

April is for my consignor. Last weekend we drove down to her shop in Laguna Beach, about 90 minutes away, to deliver some animals. At that time, I inventoried her current stock and she placed her order for more ocean related animals: octopus, squid, mermaid, seal, walrus, hippo, you get it, water related critters.

Baggy and Gizmo are so thrilled to know my crochet animals are heading to their new homes. They will miss all the yarn tails, ball and strands that were play toys for their entertainment.

Until next time, when the 6th LA Yarn Crawl comes around April 19th thru April 22nd. 26 stores, lots of free knit and crochet patterns, trunk shows, giveaways and miles and miles of driving the freeways.

Here it is February already. So much hit at once, seems like a big bowl of random. The Super Blue Blood Moon, did you see it? Ground Hog Day-6 more weeks of winter; the Super Bowl-Philly won, yay! Baggy cat had surgery, a new knitting product review and yarn was purchased.

January WIPs finished

Plus, January ended with 10 WIPs finished! My hands have been working feverishly. I was able to finish 1 Knit Shawl, 1 Crochet Shawl, 1 Tunisian Crochet Scarf, 5 knit Kids hats with cute animal toppers and 2 crochet trimmed fleece baby blankets. The baby blankets are for charity. Many skeins, cakes and hanks of yarn were put to good use.

It feels good to accomplish something that has been sitting and brewing, so to speak.

A few of Terri’s artwork on display

Over the weekend of January 26, we drove up to Venice, Ca, to see my sister’s art on display at The Kinney, for the stARTup Art Fair. A year’s work accumulation for her, she showed 26 pieces of her art in a hotel room. There were over 50 artists, 2 floors and many visitors. I am very proud of her, lots of hard work, and long hours.

Baggy the Cat, mascot of Yarn Kat, has been recuperating from his surgery. He has been wearing the “cone of despair” for 3 weeks now. He has a hematoma on his right ear, and a drain was inserted into it. He hates it, and has been able to “free” himself from the cone. We hope its only another week before the cone comes off and the drain is removed. Poor Baggy, he hates the cone, but its for his well being.

While walking around the store, I noticed a display that caught my interest. The black packaging said The Gang Collection, Wool And The Gang. I was curious, so I picked up one and read what was on the packaging. It was a kit! Yarn, Knitting Needles, Pattern and Darning Needle. All in one package. I had to buy one! But what to choose: a hat, fingerless gloves or a cowl? I chose the hat, in a soft powder gray.

The cost for each kit is $29.99. With a coupon, you could save as much as 50% off the price. The yarn and the needles can be purchased separately for $14.99 each. Look at the beautiful colors to choose from.

After getting home with my yarn and kit purchase, I decided I must knit the hat. I carefully opened the package, and pulled out the goodies inside. As you can see here, you get a big ball of yarn, 150g – 66 yd – 60 m of 70% wool, 30% acrylic yarn. It is very soft, fluffy to the touch. It even states the time in which it will take to knit the hat, 3 hours.

The needles are made from 100% Mango Wood, size US 17 – 12mm – about 14 inches long. One needle top is embossed with WA, the other TG (for wool and the gang). Nice lightweight needles, even though they are long.

Happy Daze Beanie pattern with 3 ways to make the beanie: Beginner (garter stitch); Easy (moss stitch); Intermediate (twisted rib). I chose to knit this hat with the Twisted Rib Stitch. I have never used the Twisted rib, so I chose to knit it.

Easy to follow instructions with the stitch technique written out clearly for you to be able to knit up the hat. The pattern even shows you what your stitches will look like when you are knitting it. I was able to knit up the hat within 5 hours from beginning to end. I did run into a couple bumps along the way, but kept moving forward to accomplish the task at hand.

Happy Daze Hat finished

One thing about this yarn, as a caution for you, when closing the top of the hat, take care in not pulling the yarn too tight, the yarn may tear. Pull tail with ease to close the top. My hat did not close completely, about 1 inch was left open, but the large pom pom fit onto the open space, and it did not affect the finished product.

Baggy here: ya really didn’t think you could get away with taking picture without us in it, did you?

As the year of WIPs continues, I have completed 3 projects that were started last year. Take a look at the lovely Tunisian Crochet scarf that I made with 2 hanks of hand dyed yarn. It is from Expression Fiber Arts, and it’s their Dewy DK yarn. As their website states: a mix of superwash merino wool (70%), nylon (20%) and silk (10%). It is super soft, lots of bounce and with the majority of it wool, it will definitely keep you warm. Thanks goes out to fellow knitting guild member, Merilyn Burnside, for teaching this class.

The other WIPs is the South Bay Shawlette, a Lion Brand pattern. As you can see, it is a nice size for cooler days and nights. When I picked up the cake, the first thing that came to my mind was sunsets.

And finally the Knit Shawl, Take Cover! By Katarzyna Baranska, a paid pattern on Ravelry. I used 1 hank of Malabrigo Mechita. I just need to block it as the top edge does curl and I want all the beautiful lace work to show through.

Now on to some fun projects for Valentine’s Day

Cute Little Hearts are the perfect start on projects. This heart can be crocheted quickly and added to all sorts of items. It takes just some scraps of yarn and a H – 5mm crochet hook. In just a few minutes you can crochet a little heart. Here is the instructions for the little heart:

With this little heart, you can make all kinds of fun items. Just take a look at these gems:

Sew them to hair clips; Attach them to hoop earrings

Make a necklace

For the necklace, the sample shown just make a chain of at least 140 stitches, slip stitch each chain, add a 2nd color, slip stitch those stitches, cut yarn, take another color or use first color, and slip stitch across. Sew both ends to back of hearts, and you have a cute necklace.

How about coffee cup cozies, 2 versions, one to wrap around your coffee mug and 1 to take with you for your favorite brew from the local coffee house.

For the coffee cup cozy with handle, chain between 30 and 40 stitches. The length of the chain should wrap around the cup, but meet up to both sides of the handle, without touching.

Half double crochet in 2nd chain from hook, hdc in each remaining chain.

Turn, hdc in each stitch for 8 rows. Chain 1, single crochet along side of cozy, until you get half way up, about 3-5 stitches, chain 16, slip stitch into same space as the chain stitch, single crochet to the end and bind off. Add a cute button, I got this heart shaped button at JoAnn’s.

For paper cup cozy, chain 30, slip stitch to first chain to form a circle, being careful not to twist chains. *Chain 1, hdc in each chain around, ending with a slip stitch in top of beginning chain 1. Repeat from *, for a total of 10 rounds. Bind off, weave in ends on inside. Attach heart and you are ready to go.

A couple more ideas (sorry no, photos) you can do with the little heart:

Stitch 2 hearts together from the top, leaving the bottom point open and, add a little fiberfill stuffing, and place on top of a Valentine pencil and either glue it shut or tie it closed so the eraser can be used.

Happy New Year 2018! Chinese New Year-Year of The Dog. Mardi Gras. Many things to celebrate as we start the new year. After a long year of crocheting and knitting for myself, family, friends, my consignee and my crafts shows, I took the last 2 weeks off to rest. That meant no crochet, knit, winding yarn, designing new items, nothing. And it felt good to just relax.

Happy Mew Year 2018

Our new year was a quiet one. We like to go to the last showing at the movies as the new year rings in. This year it was Star Wars The Last Jedi. We needed a distraction, as my father fell ill at Christmas, and passed away on Dec 30th. My sister and brother were by his side when he took his last breath. I was grateful they were there.

Lee and I flew to Redmond, Oregon on Friday for his burial, which was on Saturday, a crisp 24 degrees. The ground was covered in white, as the dew turned to ice. No wind made the cold temps really not feel that cold. Maybe I was just numb. I brought yarn, knitting needles and crochet hooks, but had no inclination to craft while there.

ZZzz

Baggy and Gizmo had the apartment to themselves, I guess they were busy while we were gone.

We are home now, and my new year’s resolutions are to finish projects started last year. You know those items, the scarves, shawls, crochet animals, hats, bags… new patterns you start, put away because another pattern distracts you, its put away… and so on and so on. 2018 I have decided to call it the Year of Finishing Projects.

The South Bay Shawlette is a pattern I ordered online as a kit from Lion Brand years ago. The first version was crocheted with mohair. When that yarn was discontinued, the pattern was placed in my binder for later use. With all of the cake yarns in the marketplace, I decided to crochet the shawl. It is about half way done, less than 1 cake used, and will be the first project of 2018 to finish.

Top: Crochet South Bay Shawlette Bottom: Knit Hitchhiker Shawl

The next project is Hitchhiker Shawl, by Martina Behm. Pattern can be found on Ravelry. It is a knit project with shark teeth pattern, as you can see in the photo with the southbay shawl. For this pattern, I am using The Sassy Skein, mercenized cotton yarns, in various shades of oranges, greens, gray and blue.

Other projects to be finished include the Virus Shawl, that internet sensation from a couple years ago, this one started with Red Heart Unforgettable yarn; 2017 LA Yarn Crawl Crochet Project Bag from the knit shop A Stitch In Time, using Trendsetters Ecotone cotton yarn;

Left: Crochet Project Bag Right: Crochet Virus Shawl

Tunisian Crochet Cowl, my knitting guild did last year in a workshop class, taught by Merilyn Burnside, , this one I am using 2 hanks of hand dyed yarn I purchased from Expression Fiber Arts; The Take Cover Knit Shawlette, a Ravelry pattern from Katarzyna Barańska, using Malabrigo Mechita.

Top: Tunisian Crochet Cowl Botton: Knit Hitchhiker Shawl

And with crochet animals, and kids knit hats too, I have a long list of projects to finish.

“There’s always room for more animals”, Baggy says

What are your New Years Resolutions? Are they fiber related? Photos to follow when projects are completed. Stay tuned.